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After PR News last talked to Mo Moorman (pictured right), PR director at Jockey International, we wrote the story on how company had just signed a star collegiate quarterback but unproven future pro named Tim Tebow as its spokesperson. Now that Tebow’s status has reached the heavens—and about 24 hours before the Denver Broncos face the New England Patriots in the NFL playoffs—we asked Moorman what it’s been like to practice PR around the phenom.


PR News: How has the Tebow phenomenon affected your department?
Mo Moorman: I can tell you this: A good PR pro makes hay when the sun shines, and right now, the sun is just about blinding. Jockey got busy and made big news when we signed him in July 2010, but we’re at a fever pitch now, trying to harness the power of his celebrity and ensure that consumers are aware of the Tebow-Jockey relationship. My phone rings all day. Tweets are flowing (@Jockey). E-mails are outrageous. Our PR agency, Cone in Boston, has put all hands on deck and I believe they’ve even bringing in family members and people off the street to get the work done. 

PR News: Do you start off your staff meetings by “Tebowing”?

Moorman: Tebowing … hmmm … not familiar with the term … I’ll have to look that up.

PR News: Has your marketing comms strategy around Tebow changed as his legend has grown? 

Moorman: Tim Tebow’s celebrity status has reached a truly elite level, transcending sport and becoming a pop culture icon. He went from everyone’s favorite doubt to ESPN’s favorite athlete to the pages of People magazine almost overnight, and we’ve had to ramp things up quickly to keep Jockey in the limelight with him.
A couple of ways we’ve done this: We created a contest that got the media machine cranking: If Tebow’s team wins the championship game in February, Jockey will give away $1 million worth of Jockey products and one lucky winner gets $15,000 cash. It’s the Jockey $1 Million “Super” Challenge, and it’s at www.Jockey.com/Tebow. We started that contest before the playoffs and the press and consumers alike are having a lot of fun with it.
To keep the Jockey buzz alive, this week we conducted a poll to ask America who they’d rather see in their Jockeys: Tim Tebow or Tom Brady. The results on that were mixed, but the majority of those polled said they thought Tebow’s team would beat Brady’s this weekend, and that Tebow’s team would likely win the national championship game, too. So the poll gave us some fresh angles to work with and by sharing those responses via press releases, social media (#IfTebowWins) and a satellite media tour this morning, we’ve drummed up a ton of coverage to let people know that Jockey supports Tim Tebow (pun intended.)
PR News: Will you be getting 50-yard-line seats if Denver goes to the Super Bowl?

Moorman: While I’d love to see the game live, I’m actually trying to figure out how I can go guerilla and distribute lots and lots of Jockey underwear to fans at the game. I may have to commandeer a blimp—though the dome at Indy will prove challenging.